News

2023: Why Buhari won’t hand over presidency to Tinubu – Ayo Adebanjo

Published

7 years ago

June 27, 2019

Eric

Chief Ayo Adebanjo, elder statesman and Afenifere leader, has accused a former governor of Lagos, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and some Yoruba leaders of deceiving President Muhammadu Buhari that they are in support of his government.

According to him, they are doing so with the hope that the presidency will support the zoning of the 2023 presidential ticket to the Southwest.

However, Adebanjo said President Buhari is also playing along with them having realised that they are not sincere in their dealing with him.

According to him, President Buhari will never give Tinubu and his co-travellers what they want, which is the presidency in 2023.

Adebanjo, who was reacting to the recent visit of Tinubu and some Yoruba leaders to President Buhari, described them as impostors who embarked on the visit for their selfish interests and not because of the welfare of the Yoruba nation.

He also said that Tinubu and his associates ought to have spoken to the president on the issue of insecurity in the region, especially the invasion of farmlands by Fulani herdsmen.

According to him, they only went there to discuss the issue of true federalism which the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has not shown any commitment to since coming to power in 2015.

Adebanjo told Daily Independent, “How many times will we continue to tell you these people are not Afenifere? They are just fake. Nigerians know who the true Afenifere is. They are just leaders of APC in South-West. When last did they come out as Afenifere except when they want to go and deceive Buhari? They never said anything about killings by Fulani herdsmen, instead they are talking about true federalism.

“Is Buhari sincere about restructuring? Is that not the basis on which Tinubu was elected as governor? They are just deceiving themselves. I don’t want to waste my time on them again because they are just jokers. You don’t have to lay claim to Afenifere. Nigerians know the real Afenifere.

“They were with us before they chickened out. Now that you have left, why are you still laying claim to that name? A cause we have been fighting before, you abandoned it because you want to be president. They are fighting the cause of the Yoruba for their own interest. It is clear that they don’t have the interest of the Yoruba at heart.

“They only go to Buhari whenever they want to deceive him. They have been deceiving Buhari and Buhari too is also deceiving them. What he wanted from Buhari, Buhari won’t give him. Buhari too is deceiving them because he knows they are fake.

“Their visit is an attempt to persuade Buhari that they are for him so that he can give them the slot for presidency in 2023. But Buhari is not going to give them. He only needs them for support during elections.

“Tinubu knows that. They have used him before. Didn’t they use him before the election in 2015 only to abandon him later? It was when the 2019 election was approaching that they remembered him again,” he said.

News

Two Rivers Lawmakers Step Down from Impeachment Proceedings Against Fubara, Sue for Peace

Published

1 day ago

January 12, 2026

Eric

Two members of the Rivers House of Assembly, who are loyalists of former Governor Nyesom Wike, have withdrawn from the impeachment move against Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers.

The Minority Leader of the assembly, Sylvanus Enyinna Nwankwo, and Peter Abbey, who represents Degema State Constituency, urged their colleagues to exercise restraint and allow for dialogue to maintain stability in the state

In a video widely circulated on Facebook and an excerpt published by Rivers State Television, the lawmakers urged their colleagues to prioritise the overall interest and stability of Rivers above partisan disagreements.

Call for ‘cooling-off period’

The legislators stressed that the prevailing political climate demands calm, dialogue and a “cooling-off period” within the assembly to allow, in their words, “wisdom and truth to prevail” in the legislative chambers.

Although they did not expressly mention the impeachment process during the briefing, their intervention is being interpreted by political observers as a withdrawal from the impeachment push against Mr Fubara, which has heightened tensions in the state.

Background to impeachment moves

The Rivers assembly parted ways with Mr Fubara because of the feud between the governor and Mr Wike, who is the FCT minister.

The current impeachment notice on Mr Fubara is the third attempt in less than three years to remove the governor. The previous efforts had split the legislature into two factions, causing President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency in the oil-rich state and suspend the governor, the deputy governor, and the lawmakers.

The lawmakers accused the governor of constitutional breaches and administrative misconduct, allegations his supporters have dismissed as politically motivated.

Source: Premium Times

News

I Won’t Surrender Rivers N700bn IGR to Anyone, Fubara Vows

Published

6 days ago

January 8, 2026

Eric

Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has resisted alleged pressure to hand over N700 billion, representing 35% of the State’s internally generated revenue (IGR), to anyone, sparking a heated power struggle with former Governor Nyesom Wike, now Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister.

The dispute has raised concerns about the welfare of Rivers State residents, with 4.4 million people living in multidimensional poverty.

The feud between Fubara and Wike, who unilaterally chose Fubara as his successor, has escalated into violent confrontations, defections, and legal battles.

Wike has threatened to make Rivers State “ungovernable” if Fubara fails comply, while his supporters have vowed to “deal with” Fubara.

In response, Fubara has warned that he cannot be intimidated, saying: “Rivers State is not a playground” and that he’s prepared to defend the state’s interest.

His supporters have also threatened to mobilise protests against Wike and his allies.

The crisis had paralysed governance, prompting President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month emergency rule in the State last year.

The situation remains tense, with both sides maintaining their respective stance.

The outcome will have significant implications for Rivers State and Nigerian politics.

The dispute highlights concerns about godfatherism in Nigerian politics and its impact on governance.

Wike has accused Fubara of ingratitude, while Fubara sees the former’s demands as an attempt to undermine his authority.

News

Rivers Assembly Begins Impeachment Proceedings Against Fubara

Published

6 days ago

January 8, 2026

Eric

The Rivers State House of Assembly has commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The legislature kicked off the process at plenary on Thursday.

The lawmakers are accusing Fubara and his deputy of gross misconduct.

Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, is presiding over the session.

The day’s proceedings bear the imprimatur of renewed hostilities between Fubara and his predecessor Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

On December 5, 2025, a horde of the Rivers assembly lawmakers led by the speaker, announced their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Days later, Fubara formalised his own switch from the PDP to the APC.

However, the sabre-rattling and thinly veiled remarks between Wike and Fubara, which culminated in the declaration of emergency rule in the state in March 2025, have persisted.

Most of the Rivers lawmakers have stayed loyal to Wike.

TheCable